Embattled St. Tammany Parish Coroner Peter Galvan will not attend Thursday night's Parish Council meeting to address reports of lavish spending and other questions about his agency's operations, his attorney told parish officials in an email. In the email sent to Parish President Pat Brister and copied to all 14 Parish Council members, attorney Jacques Bezou wrote, "In view of pending and anticipated litigation my client, Dr. Peter Galvan, will not be addressing the council on my advice. However, Dr. Galvan is eager to address the public at the proper time."

St. Tammany Parish Coroner Peter Galvan

Meanwhile, WDSU-TV reported Wednesday afternoon that Galvan is the subject of a federal investigation. The station said investigators have subpoenaed coroner's office records for various purchases that were detailed in a Jan. 22 report by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, including flight lessons, boating equipment and a tractor.

Sources told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune that Galvan has hired veteran criminal defense attorney Bob Habans, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

The Parish Council last week asked Galvan to appear at Thursday night's meeting to address "questions that have recently arisen regarding the past expenditures, policies and practices of your office." The council asked the coroner to prepare a report on various aspects of his agency's operations and deliver it to the parish government complex by Monday, but no such report was proffered.

Council Chairman Jerry Binder replied to Bezou's email, writing, "Your email on behalf of the coroner is most disappointing. . . The council will be prepared to discuss the recent multiple disturbing allegations regarding the coroner with or without his attendance and participation at tomorrow night's council meeting."

Asked for comment Wednesday, Councilman Jake Groby said, "It would do well for the coroner to show up and answer the questions. All this does is leave the public to question."

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reported in January that the coroner's office used taxpayer money for more than $36,000 in meals at 151 different restaurants from 2006 through 2012. It also racked up substantial spending on items, some of which would seem to have little to do with the operation of the coroner's office. Purchases were made at a wide variety of establishments, including groceries, retail stores, sporting goods/outdoor outlets, even a school for flight lessons, agency records show. Taxpayer money was also used to purchase alcohol at some of the meals.

On Wednesday, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reported that six of the coroner's office's 22 full-time employees - 27 percent of the office - are paid annual salaries exceeding $100,000, pay that exceeds other coroner's offices in some larger parishes. Those salaries are part of a payroll that has skyrocketed by more than 350 percent since 2004, audits show.

Galvan receives a salary of about $200,000 as coroner, while maintaining a private medical practice in Slidell. WVUE-TV recently reported that Galvan controls his own salary and gave himself repeated pay raises in recent years. The station reported that Galvan also paid himself an extra $31,000 for some 40 unused vacation and sick days in 2012.

Parish officials and members of the public have expressed outrage over the reports.

Councilman Binder has said that the agency, which has a $5.1 million budget, is over funded. Parish voters approved a 4-mill property tax for the agency in 2004, and due to the parish's growing tax base the millage has been rolled back to about 3.4 mills, he said.

Binder said that while parish government does not control how the coroner spends his money, the Parish Council could cut the agency's millage. The parish governing body will take steps to do just that whether or not Galvan appears at Thursday's meeting, he said.

Galvan has declined requests for comment about the operations of his office.